# Accident 19970705046409A: Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B, Hobbs, NM, July 5, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 5, 1997, 17:22 local time
- Place: Hobbs, NM
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.7291° N, 103.1608° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.7291&lon=-103.1608&mi=10
- Aircraft: N80077, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N80077-2000-02-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B (registry code 3802053, https://openairdocs.org/model/schempp-hirth-ventus-2b) (OpenAirDocs)
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97FA249](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA249) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970705046409A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS MAKING AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING NEAR HOBBS, NM. WITNESSES REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING LOW; ENTERED A CLIMB; THE WINGS ROCKED, AND THEN THE AIRCRAFT SPIRALED DOWN HITTING WIRES; THEN THE GROUND.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97FA249](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA249), Jul 5, 1997: Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B (N80077), Hobbs, NM, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to select an off-field landing site with sufficient time/altitude to perform the landing which led to his failure to maintain airspeed. A factor was the unfavorable wind.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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